Cyprus Wine at Anassa Hotel

When people think of Cyprus, they don’t typically think of great wine. Many of my guests at Anassa are pleasantly surprised when they take their first sip of Cypriot wine. I tend to never see them again without a glass at lunch or dinner for the rest of their trip.

As head barman here at Anassa, I take great pride in educating our guests about the wonderful variety of wines we have to offer in Cyprus. I have been working here for 13 years and have seen many happy guests embark on visits to local vineyards to buy cases of wine following their tastings at the hotel.

Here are some examples of my personal favourite wines which we serve at the hotel:

Alina from the year 2010 is definitely one of the top choices for white wine. It is a dry white wine from the Xinisteri grape variety which is cultivated in the mountains of Paphos. The wine is light and fresh with citrus and floral aromas. It is best served chilled at 8-12 degrees centigrade. It pairs perfectly with feta cheese, seafood and white meat.

The Maratheftiko red wine is also the name of its grape variety. It is a rich, thick wine that is quite masculine and bold. It has aromas of bitter chocolate and leather. The wine is best paired with brie and figs, and traditional Cypriot meats such as sausage and pork loin.

Finally, the Commandaria Centurion is the perfect dessert wine. It is an aged, sweet, traditional dessert wine that goes back thousands of years to 3000 BCE. There are only a handful of wine makers that can produce this special wine. In fact, there are only 4 companies in the world that can make it and all of them are located right here in Cyprus. The wine is made from a cuvée ranging in age from 30 to 100 years. It has aromas of honey, figs, apricots and espresso bean and is best paired with blue cheese.

The next time you find yourself in Cyprus, come visit me and I will show you the collection of incredible wine we have at the hotel.

- Antoniou Takis, Head Barman at Anassa

Are you fond of Cyprus wines? What are some of your favourites and why?